Google's spycar revs up UK privacy fears

Google's spycar revs up UK privacy fears

Daniel Fleshbourne on 07 July 2008 - 16:58 · 21 comments & 9144 views

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Google's Street View cars, which grab real photographs of streets and the people in them for the search giant's Maps service, have come under fire from privacy campaigners. The spycar has been spotted in London, Edinburgh and Cardiff. A Reg reader was kind enough to send us a snap of the snapper-car in London. The pictures the car takes subsequently get loaded into Google Maps.

Privacy International has complained to the Information Commissioner's Office. A spokeswoman for the ICO told the Reg: "Yes, we have received a complaint about this and we are looking into it. We are contacting Google to get more details of the scheme."

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#1 Unimatrix Xero on 07 Jul 2008 - 16:59

this was featured on the reg over 4 days ago, old news

edit: same stry but just reworded http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/07/02/street_view_spycar/

(2 replies) #2 ec4912 on 07 Jul 2008 - 17:40

I gotta say, this disturbed me a little when I found out about it. My wife told me she could see my TransAm in front of my house, and my mom in the garden. I thought it was a joke, until I confirmed it. It's a great tool to case houses for theft.

#2.1 Andrey on 08 Jul 2008 - 10:59

how is this a great tool for theft? Trust me, nobody needs your TransAm...

#2.2 PatrynXX on 08 Jul 2008 - 22:16

A friend of mine found their house in Minneapolis, but it's an older photo. This is the same fear other countries had about google earth. But those photos are years old and of little use. Same thing here. I thought it was pretty cool wondering around where I lived as a kid in Monroe WI. And Galena Ill is also quite fun.

#3 milesfromordinary on 07 Jul 2008 - 18:02

what about the video cameras monitoring every nook and cranny of downtown london? why are these people fretting that somebody might find them on the not-live Google Street View? maybe Privacy International needs to sort out its priorities.

(1 reply) #4 exotoxic on 07 Jul 2008 - 18:05

the peoples faces, number plates of cars and so other stuff are blured out...

It's a great tool to case houses for theft.

umm how??

#4.1 +Chipshop on 07 Jul 2008 - 18:54

(exotoxic said @ #4)

the peoples faces, number plates of cars and so other stuff are blured out...

It's a great tool to case houses for theft.

umm how??

+1

How exactly can you case a house for theft from a photo? A photo that could have been taken at anytime

(1 reply) #5 +M2Ys4U on 07 Jul 2008 - 18:31

I think people are too paranoid about this. It's the same info that's available as just driving down the street yourself. Why the worry?

#5.1 Fourjays on 07 Jul 2008 - 21:37

+1. There are more important privacy concerns out there than this.

#6 Kushan on 07 Jul 2008 - 18:34

One word:

Arsed?

(2 replies) #7 bluarash on 07 Jul 2008 - 19:52

Why should this matter? At least the entity involved in not the state government.

#7.1 Runelord on 07 Jul 2008 - 19:56

True story. But it's Google... so it's worse.

#7.2 PatrynXX on 08 Jul 2008 - 22:17

(Runelord said @ #7.1)

True story. But it's Google... so it's worse.

ha, at least it's not microsoft. too connected.

(2 replies) #8 C_Guy on 07 Jul 2008 - 20:56

Priorities. This is a technology we sorely need. Why spend resources trying to cure world hunger or cancer when we can have THIS!!! Thank God for Google!

#8.1 +acxz on 07 Jul 2008 - 22:08

In case you hadn't noticed, there are already plenty of people searching for a cure for cancer. This is what Google does.

#8.2 +Dakkaroth on 08 Jul 2008 - 09:34

(C_Guy said @ #1)

Priorities. This is a technology we sorely need. Why spend resources trying to cure world hunger or cancer when we can have THIS!!! Thank God for Google!

Why cure world hunger or cancer when you can troll Neowin?!

#9 Ashl on 07 Jul 2008 - 22:06

I've looked at it on the tour de france route and it looks really good, hopefully the UK will just blur faces and get on with sticking it up! For example I can look around a previous holiday destination on there without being there(or a future one) in much finer detail than ever before.

#10 Airlink on 08 Jul 2008 - 00:42

Excuse me while I laugh at all the people running around screaming "Googlezila.. Googlezilla! Who will save us?!"
Yes, it's a big corporation, and yes it indexes an neigh-unimaginable amount of data, and yes it's got cars running around snapping photos of things. That doesn't mean that the sky is falling and that you're Chicken Little. Get a grip.

#11 x00783 on 08 Jul 2008 - 00:46

I just don't see why people are freaking out about getting their thong snapped, ****ing on the side of the road, passed out in a corner. If it's in a public place, don't screw up. Notice I said.... Public Place....

#12 zuperfluff on 08 Jul 2008 - 16:26

aren't the streets public? if other people can take a picture of a stranger peeing in washington street in whatever country, then why cant google? if the government already has the information of what size of underwear you are wearing today, then i say it's a way of keeping the power balanced. if the government can, then the people should be able to. right? right?
all in favor say 'yay!'

#13 Nose Nuggets on 08 Jul 2008 - 16:30

its the open public, you have no expectation of privacy.

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